In this post my friend, co-teacher, and research assistant Tisha Yoon have collaborated to bring you a short article on being proud of your students.

We decided to write this article after seeing firsthand the positive impact that expressing your feelings of pride in your students can have on not only on students’ levels of motivation, but also on the quality of teacher-student relationships.

So without further ado let us present our post on (drumroll, please):

​Being Proud of Your Students!

Anyone who has ever talked to a teacher has heard the phrase “I’m really proud of my students.” This is because, for the most part, the majority of teachers are proud of their students (even if they don’t know it). The problem is, however, if you were to ask most students if their teacher ever told them they were proud of them the answer would most likely be a ‘no.’

Don’t believe us? Then ask yourself this (if you are an educator), when was the last time you told your students you were proud of them? And when we talk about telling your students ‘you are proud of them’ we mean not only telling your students you are proud of them, but actually meaning it!

If, like many, you can’t remember the last time you told your students you were proud of them then maybe it’s time to do so.

But before doing that please spare a few minutes to peruse our (incomplete) list of reasons we think you should feel proud of your students, regardless of their achievement or classroom conduct.

Why Teachers Should Be Proud Of Their Students!1. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students make an effort to come to class.교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 교실까지 오는 것도 노력이 필요하니까요.

2. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students often do their best (regardless of what’s happening in their private lives).교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들은 보통 최선을 다하기 때문이죠.

3. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students invest their time.교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들이 시간을 투자하니까요.

4. Teachers should be proud of their students because studying often involves a financial cost (to the student or their family).교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학습에는 비용이 들거든요.

5. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students turn up to class day after day.교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들이 매일 수업을 들으러 오니까요.

6. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students (usually) come to class even if they don’t have friends in the class or don’t like the teacher.교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들은 친구가 없거나 교사가 싫어도 꾸준히 출석하거든요.

7. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students want to learn (even if they don’t show it).교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들은 배우고 싶어하거든요.

8. Teachers should be proud of their students because studying is not easy – but students still do their best (maybe not always, but often).공부는 쉽지 않아요. 하지만 대개 학생들은 최선을 다하죠.

9. Teachers should be proud of their students because their students forgive (usually) the teacher's errors and transgressions.교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들도 교사의 실수를 눈감아주니까요.

10. Teachers should be proud of their students because often students want to make someone else happy. 교사는 학생들을 자랑스러워해야 합니다. 학생들은 다른 사람을 행복하게 만들고 싶어하거든요.

As you can see from the above list – there are many reasons as to why we should be proud of our students. From the effort they put in to the opportunity costs that many forgo – we really should be proud of our students.

This being true, our attention will now turn to the (incomplete) list of reasons Tisha and I think teachers should not just be proud of their students, but actually take the time to tell their students that they are proud of them.

List Of Why Teachers Should Tell Their Students They Are Proud Of Them!1. Teachers should tell their students they are proud of them because it feels good when someone is proud of you.교사는 학생들에게 그들이 자랑스럽다고 말해야 합니다. 누군가 여러분을 자랑스럽게 생각한다는 건 행복한 일이니까요.

2. Teachers should tell their students they are proud of them because it shows you care.교사는 학생들에게 그들이 자랑스럽다고 말해야 합니다. 여러분이 관심을 가지고 있다는 걸 보여주거든요.

3. Teachers should tell their students they are proud of them because in many cases this is the only time a student might hear these words.교사는 학생들에게 그들이 자랑스럽다고 말해야 합니다. 여러분이 이런 말을 해주는 유일한 사람일지도 몰라요.

4. Teachers should tell their students they are proud of them because it helps show students that you respect and understand their effort.교사는 학생들에게 그들이 자랑스럽다고 말해야 합니다. 그들의 노력을 존중하고 이해하는 모습을 보여주세요.

5. Teachers should tell their students they are proud of them because it is true.교사는 학생들에게 그들이 자랑스럽다고 말해야 합니다. 진실이니까요.

In our experience we have found that once you express pride in a student they usually reciprocate by putting in even more effort and by respecting you as both a teacher and as someone who truly cares for them.

Thank you for reading our post and we hope that it has prompted you to remind your students of how proud you are of them (if you haven’t done so already).